Jumaane Williams, New York City’s public advocate, welcomed the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas but expressed concern about its temporary nature, per a statement released on Sunday.
Williams wrote that “the pain of the heinous terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, has compounded for over a year—from the tens of thousands killed in Gaza to the fear and anger of New Yorkers in the streets.”
“I am grateful for the respite this ceasefire offers, even temporarily,” he continued. “The halting of violence and return of hostages are what people from across our city and the world have prayed and protested for, for so long.”
“Families will be reunited because of this deal, many will return home, even as the prolonged campaign of violence has left far, far too many without their homes or family members,” he added.
Williams has served in the job since 2019. In the event of a vacancy or incapacity of the mayor, the public advocate is first in line to take over.
He noted that his relief about the ceasefire agreement does come with “a wariness that this cessation is temporary—a potential path to peace but not peace itself.”
“This is progress that I hope can be sustained and built upon, even with a new administration coming into the White House,” he said. “Lasting peace means safety and freedom for Israelis and for Palestinians—the movement for justice cannot end with this most recent conflict, but with solutions that address decades of pain and prevent it in the future.”
Citing Martin Luther King Jr., Williams expressed hope that the ceasefire in Israel and Gaza could lead to a permanent solution.
“Dr. King said that ‘we must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war, but the positive affirmation of peace,’ and that ‘true peace is not merely the absence of tension: It is the presence of justice’,” he said. “As we honor him, I pray that we can advance to justice.”
